Tennessee Governor Calls Fed Review of Medicaid Funding "Heavy-Handed"

The federal government's review of how much money it spends to help pay for the hospital costs of low-income people in Tennessee and other states that didn't expand Medicaid feels like a threat to Governor Bill Haslam.

"The way they're approaching this feels awfully heavy handed: OK, well if you don't do that, then we're going to restrict the pool of money that we give you for indigent care," Gov Haslam told reporters Thursday.

Federal officials recently reached out to several states about reducing the amount of federal money that goes toward uncompensated care, or care provided to uninsured people who can't pay for it. The officials also contacted Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Texas. Florida, Kansas, Texas, and Tennessee have not expanded Medicaid.

Read more at The Tennessean: http://tnne.ws/1FnZr95